Break
by Cloud Auditore Fair
Summary: Rei and a friend travel to the Capital of Mars in hope of a change, but things go drastically different. Rei isn't the only one with problems. Everyone's trying to make the cut despite civil strife, but there's more beneath the surface than anyone realized. Can the fall of the kingdoms be stopped or will all fall into darkness? Silver Millennium. Reinako, Ami/Makoto Haru/Michi
1. A Spark

**AN**: Hey there! I hope you'll be along for the long ride this story will be, since I'm taking it completely seriously. I want to update it every first of the month, not including December because I'll be doing something that day and so that's why this is here early. Enjoy :)

And I think it's obvious I'm not making a claim to own Sailor Moon. This is a fanfiction site.

* * *

"You can't be serious."

Tired amethyst eyes remained down, focused on a torn sleeve. Said sleeve covered a thin arm. The thought of it tugged at some old scab of an aged agony that she banished.

"Dammit, Rei!"

She sighed and looked around the dark, cluttered room. It was the remains of a burned house, like many in this particular district of the city. They were sitting in the basement and a beam from the ground floor effectively divided the room in half and allowed for a quick way to travel between floors. It also formed the boundary between their "living quarters" and where they stored their loot. That is, if one could call it loot. Rei didn't think the bits of food, few pendants or other trinkets counted as loot.

Her eyes lingered on a pile of books as she spoke. "We haven't caught a break since that dagger with the gem in the hilt. Zek, that was over a month ago."

Her gaze finally rested on her companion. His hair was cropped to about three inches of a jet black mess with splashes of blonde- the result of a Uranian mother. The front it was long enough to splay across his forehead and into unusually green eyes. Rei had tried to convince Zek to let her cut the front of his hair too, but he simply wouldn't have it. Though she would slap it whenever she feigned anger at him. And Zek knew it. The thought made her smile.

Zek laughed heartily and slapped his thigh. "Proof that you can't smile without complaining!"

Rei swatted at his bangs and grinned when the boy didn't flinch. "Tell anyone that I can smile and your fingers won't be so quick."

He placed a hand over his chest. "Then how will we survive?"

A light laugh escaped Rei. "Through my wit, as always."

Zek smirked and slung an arm around her shoulder. "We'll make it. We always do, dagger or not."

"If you were anyone else, you wouldn't have an arm."

"Yeah, but I'm your brother."

Rei abruptly stood, causing his arm to fall, and stormed to a corner of the room. Staring at nothing in particular, she could feel his frown.

"I didn't mean-"

"I know." She knelt beside the dying fire and watched it flare slightly in response to her presence.

Fire's fascination for the girl first manifested when she was eleven. Now thirteen, that had given her six months to learn the basics, mostly just making sure she didn't accidently set something or someone on fire. Rei proved to be a fast learner. Two months in and she exerted enough control to light a candle without melting all the wax or setting the table on fire, something that typically took at least four months. To be given the gift of fire by the gods was an honor, but the state of Mars had fallen. There was no fee for learning to control one's emotions and power over fire, but the army needed funding and so fees were imposed.

That was about a year before Rei's power manifested, when Mars was at war with Uranus. It was during the final stages of the war yet the situation only got worse afterward. Apparently, some Uranians stayed on Mars and convinced some Martians that were hurt or neglected by the war to join them.

Rei didn't care for their reasons. Innocent people died because of the rebels.

The flames flared.

Zek rested a hand on her shoulder. "Let's try and get some clothes, yeah?"

Rei didn't look away from the crackling fire. "We need food."

Zek sighed heavily and lifted his hand from her shoulder to scratch his temple. He walked to the part of the beam that touched the floor. "We won't look so suspicious if we have clean clothes. Besides, we have a lot to get away with today."

The raven-haired girl didn't miss the boy's smile as she moved to his side. However, she just raised a critical eyebrow and plainly asked, "Why is that?"

Zek smacked the girl on the back, ignoring the glare sent his way. "We're going to need supplies, of course!" He crossed his arms and attempted to appear affronted by Rei's shocked expression, but his smile gave him away. "Did you really think I'd let you travel the desert all by yourself?"

"Well, no, but-"

"I haven't seen you look so surprised since…" Zek drummed his fingers on his arm. "Ever," he laughed.

Rei punched his arm lightly. "And I never had so many bad habits until I met you."

"Like what?"

"Like tapping my fingers on something when I think!"

"How else would the world know the great Rei Hino didn't always have a plan! I've done everyone a favor." She answered him with a glare and he simply gave an awkward bow before gesturing at the beam. "Shall we begin this adventure?"

Rei sighed and gave a single nod.

"Ladies first."

"Then you should go first."

The boy laughed and ran up the beam. Rei shook her head and followed.

Outside, the two strolled down a street in the abandoned district. After living in a half-burned house for almost a year and a half, they've learned that the destroyed district didn't bother them. At least, not on the outside. No, they can never forget the horror of the night that the district burned. It practically boiled just beneath the surface. If they let it, it would consume them.

"So you never said why you wanna travel the desert to reach the Capital."

Rei glanced at her companion. "I'm tired of just surviving. Maybe we can get a job there or something."

Zek scratched his temple. "Why would we be able to get a job there when we can't get one here?"

"Not everyone knows our past," Rei sighed. "Maybe I just can't stand this place anymore."

"But we're only thirteen, all we have is the army."

"There has to be something more."

Her tone caused Zek to lapse into silence and she didn't bother breaking it. If they were going nowhere, they might as well go somewhere. And he couldn't deny that he was as tired as she was. A quiet rage festered in his chest.

Near the edge of the district, Zek broke the heavy silence. "Yeah, with only seven districts, people are starting to recognize us easier."

"You mean merchants."

"They're not merchants if they can't keep up with their stuff."

"It's not their fault some kids steal their stuff."

"It's not the kids' fault someone decided it was a good idea to burn their homes with their families inside," he spat.

There was a long pause before Rei spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "That doesn't make it right."

* * *

A subtle frown crossed the girl's face.

"It's alright, you know."

Ami gave her brother no indication that she heard him. Still, she focused on the screen. He put a hand on her shoulder and waited until the girl turned.

"Trevian, you learned this when you were fourteen."

He laughed loudly and ignored his sister's critical eyebrow. "Not everyone understands code at fourteen."

Ami turned back to the screen. "You're right, I'll learn by then."

"You're not even giving yourself a whole year." Silence aside from a few keystrokes. "You're not going to ask why I'm here?" Ami shut down her computer before fully facing her brother and pushed up her glasses. Trevian smiled at her. "Mother wants to see you."

With a nod, Ami stood and walked past her brother. However, she paused in the doorway. "What happened to you on Uranus?"

She heard him laughing. "I take it that means you missed me."

Ami walked out and down the hall. "I still do," she murmured. The girl stopped to place a hand against the wall, enjoying the feel of the cool stone. Her heart eased, due to the stone or its continuing place despite technology, she didn't know.

"Are you alright?"

Remembering herself, Ami stepped away from the wall and nodded to the fledgling scholar. She'd seen him a few times, but they never spoke. "Yes, though I appreciate your concern. Is Dr. Mizuno in the library?"

"Indeed," smiled the young man.

Ami looked around him, not wanting to follow wherever the conversation would lead, if anywhere, yet didn't want to be rude. She stared past him. "If you excuse me, I must speak with her."

"Of course. Good day."

She all but fled done the hall, but after a few turns, she relaxed and found herself on autopilot. Only after studying a map of the castle and living there prevented her from getting lost. Every hall in the Mercurian castle looked almost exactly the same. A few years ago Ami thought she knew most of the castle, but she discovered another map of it when she was finally allowed in the main library.  
It turned out she hardly knew a fourth of the castle. Ami found her favorite place while travelling the previously unknown areas of the castle and she shared it with no one. Her secondary choice for a favorite place was the main library.

Of course, she originally had a "guide" assigned to make sure she didn't destroy anything. Ami found her guide to be tiresome because he always felt he was so much better than everyone else and deemed it necessary to tell everyone how inferior they were. Especially Ami. Guides usually only looked after visitors, whether they were from other planets or received permission to use the library.

The young girl's theory was that he didn't like babysitting, though even then she didn't need it.

Ami wasn't the least bit surprised when the vile man appeared from nowhere as she was about to enter the library.  
"Need assistance?"

An unfamiliar feeling began to smolder within her chest. She swallowed heavily, hoping to banish the feeling. "No, thank you."  
He flashed a smile, gesturing behind himself. "Perhaps I could accompany you anyway?"

The man would follow her or hover whether she liked it or not and he had more authority than her even if she were to file a complaint. She was just a thirteen-year-old girl. The feeling in her chest persisted, but she forced what she hoped to be a polite smile onto her face. Ami didn't trust herself to speak, if she could speak, so she simply walked past him.

Together, they walked into the library. Surrounded by more knowledge than she could ever hope to attain, Ami did not feel her usual exhilaration. Lectus' presence prevented it. She realized he was talking about something, but it only registered as a dull noise as her eyes searched for her mother.

Ami turned to him abruptly, interrupting him, "My apologies, I must go."

She walked off as fast as she could without being entirely rude. His gaze burned into her back, but she kept going. Ami's stride only faltered when she approached her mother and another doctor. Stopping a small distance behind the woman, Ami touched her thumb to each of her fingers twice.

When the conversation ended, Dr. Mizuno turned, a look of surprise coming to her face before a smile was offered that Ami knew to be more of manners than affection. "Ah, there you are." When her daughter simply nodded, she motioned to a table nearby.

There was something off, something that gave the young girl pause, that made her stare after her own mother instead of moving to sit by her. Something off about being sought out by her mother. No, she wasn't sought out. The doctor sent someone to make her find the woman on her own. That wasn't it, wasn't new.

"Come now."

That's what it was. That smile. It was so artificial, so forced. A polite gesture, nothing more. And so many times in such a short span of time.

The doctor wanted something. Not of her daughter, but of a nameless chess piece on a board. A different feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and Ami felt herself almost smile, even though there wasn't anything remotely amusing, even though there wasn't the slightest hint of joy.

She'd have to name these feelings later, but for now she would indulge her mother. For the last time. Instead of sitting beside the doctor, Ami sat across from her, back straight, hands folded on the table.

A few minutes passed, the smile still on the older Mizuno's face, until she realized Ami wasn't going to break the silence. "Trevian appears rather different, doesn't he?"

Silence.

"His time on Uranus is a step in the right direction for better relations with the planet, but I think it also did some good for him as well."

"Perhaps," Ami agreed at length, not entirely sure where her mother was going, but not liking it either.

The doctor reached across the table and rested a hand on Ami's forearm. "What do you think of him?"

Ami stared at the nearly foreign hand. She couldn't remember the last time her mother came into contact with her, if at all. An insistent noise demanded her attention and she realized her mother was speaking. That feeling tugged at the pit of her stomach again.

"Well?"

It felt like her heart was climbing upward and she wasn't sure she could speak, so she cleared her throat and tried anyway. "I… What do you want?"

Dr. Mizuno blinked a moment, the smile gone, and she retracted her hand. She eyed her daughter as if she were some new specimen or some patient with a sickness she couldn't figure out.

Between the silence and the analytical stare burning into her, Ami felt like she was suffocating. Her gaze fell to the table and she tried to say something but failed. Once more. "If there's nothing, then I'll just be on my way."

As the young girl shakily stood, Dr. Mizuno spoke. "You said you didn't wish to be a doctor." Ami nodded, so she continued. "And I didn't push you toward it. However, I want you to run against your brother when you're of age."

Cold seized Ami's heart and seeped through her veins. Her eyes eventually met her mother's again and found that they were still examining her. She swallowed heavily and opened her mouth, but nothing came out so she just shook her head.

"I know you've seen it. He's not who he was."

Still she shook her head.

The older Mizuno rose. "You say that now, but I know you'll see what I see before the time comes."

"He's the best choice. The favorite," she whispered.

"Not once everyone sees how much Uranus has changed him. He may have helped our relations, but his very nature is corrupted. People may not see it now, or even in the next year, but they'll see it eventually and when that happens, you will beat him."

The feeling gnawing at her stomach was gone, replaced by the beginnings of what Lectus' caused. It flared against the cold, dead feeling inside of her. "What is so wrong with Trevian being more… more…" her brow furrowed, more so troubled than she appeared. She'd never been unable to find the right word before. "Uranian," she eventually whispered.

"Close, but not quite, though that in itself is troubling. But no, I'm referring to something darker. Something happened on that planet and I fear we'll only know what it is when it's too late."

"You're overreacting."

The doctor started walking away, but called over her shoulder, "We'll see in three years' time."

The room was suffocating her. Ami turned to leave and nearly jumped out of her skin when she discovered Lectus there. He was about to say something, but she abruptly went around him and did her best not to run out the library. However, once she hit the corridor, she ran, ran toward the one place that never disappointed her. Against all odds, she didn't encounter anyone on the way there.

* * *

**AN**: I hope it was good for you! It took a different turn that I expected and though Break is centered around Rei, we're going to have to look in on everyone else because in reality, it's not just her story. I'm so psyched about this, you don't even understand. If you'd like to give me some input, I'd love it. See you guys next time.

I feel like I'm forgetting something terribly important.

I'd like to take a moment to address the concerns of some people in regards to Lost In You. It's coming to a close and I admit I've been avoiding it, but I'm going to finish it soon enough I assure you.


	2. Genesis

**A/N:** So, this is a few days late. My bad. But I hope you guys like it, I put a lot into it and wound up rewriting half of it. As usual, it took a turn I didn't expect it to.

* * *

"Great catch, huh?"

Rei shifted the pack over her shoulder, grunting at its weight, and glanced at the equally large one Zek carried, though his was heavier. They'd been particularly risky today, visiting every merchant district. In their new clothes, the people of this district wouldn't give them much thought. Just a couple of kids that picked up supplies for their families.

_Families._ That familiar pain tugged at her heart.

"Rei?"

"Yeah, sorry." She tried to brush off the troubling thoughts for Zek's sake. Even if she couldn't do such a thing, she could act like she had. "Good thing we're leaving or those merchants would kill us."

Zek laughed, bumping shoulders with her and nearly knocking her over in the process. "Think they could catch us?"

"Just you."

"Not if I push you down."

"If you can catch me."

"That'd be a sight. Them chasing us, me chasing you." He laughed again.

Rei squinted at the sun, somewhat hidden behind a city wall. "It'll be nearly dark when we get back."

"Yeah? Then you better take this."

Before she could ask, his pack was being shoved at her. She stumbled, struggling with the sudden weight until it dragged her down, Zek's pack half on her and half on her arm. Grunting as she pushed the pack off her, Rei managed to sit up in time to see her friend sprinting down a street.

"Dammit, Zekius!"

"See ya soon," he laughed back, rounding a corner.

She sighed heavily and stretched her left arm out, wincing as she did so. Zek's loot messed up her arm and she was left to carry both packs. Great. Rei stood, staring at her burden and moving her arm about.

"Need some-"

"No," Rei blurted before she knew it, mentally cursing herself as she turned to a man that hardly seemed as if he could be out of his teens.

He was a guard of the particular district, as his armor gave away, and of a solid build. Someone that got to eat food regularly. His hair was barely –if at all- cropped within the standards for a guard, but that wasn't the odd thing. It was a gentle grey, with tints of white and darker greys as if someone threw colored water on his head and it stained after drying. His startlingly dark eyes almost didn't even seem to be a shade of lavender but held flecks of green. They were a bit wide, more so out of surprise than suspicion. At least, she hoped so.

This could either go very well or very badly.

Rei hoped for the former.

She gave a deep sigh and gestured at the packs. "I guess I look like it, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah you do," he laughed, lowly and easily.

There was something… weird about him, other than his appearance. So weird she forgot herself and just stared at him. As he stopped laughing, Rei was struck a suspicion and looked around, but there were just some people going home. Nothing out of place, no other guards nearby.

He couldn't be setting her up. But then why was he patrolling by himself? She did need help though…

"Hurt your arm?"

Rei froze. She hadn't realized she'd been moving it around again. And he was still _weird_.

"How'd you do that?" The question could've been part of an interrogation, but there was concern in his voice and eyes.

Again she gestured to the packs. "My brother threw his at me and ran off." It wasn't exactly a _lie._

"Guess I'll need help to help you."

"What?"

But he whistled in answer and she nearly jumped out of her skin. _Run,_ urged some part of her, perhaps the sane part of her, but she didn't budge, didn't listen to that fear.

That's when she realized what was weird about the man. He felt… genuine and something else she couldn't quite figure out, but she knew it was positive.

He smiled at her. "My friend and I just got off patrol and I was heading home while he went to look at something, but he shouldn't be too far off."

"You're odd."

"Deimos says something like that too."

"Your friend?"

He nodded. "Yeah. What's your brother's name?"

An internal battle took place as Rei decided whether or not to continue with that feeling that this guard was… genuine. It went on long enough, however, for him to look stricken and smack his own forehead. "Ow!"

"I take it back, you're more than odd," she said, standing on her toes to reach up and pull his gauntleted hand away from his head. "That wasn't a bright idea."

"No, Deimos has those," he muttered, one eye half closed in discomfort.

Rei found herself chuckling, falling back to her regular height. "You're fine."

"So I didn't cut my pretty face?"

Another male voice sounded, soft yet strong and fluid, "Unfortunately."

She stiffened and turned slightly to discover the source of the voice right beside her. How didn't she notice him? And in his _armor_? It shouldn't matter that he was of a lithe build, though she'd place her money- if she had any- on him being nothing but muscle. Rei swallowed back her surprise, but some of it rang in her voice anyway. "You must be Deimos."

He inclined his head to her and she couldn't help but note his hair was perfectly cropped. Unlike his friend's, it was significantly darker. Something between silver and black.

Deimos didn't move away from her, but his presence didn't feel unnatural, so she didn't protest, to her own surprise. And it seemed he wouldn't provide another comment, which left her to ask the obvious question. "Why'd you hit yourself?"

Amusement left his dark eyes. "I realized I was just a guard approaching you and whistling for one or more, for all you knew." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't even introduce myself," he muttered.

The dejected look of him made her surprise him and herself in turn, extending her hand out toward him. "Hino Rei."

He blinked at her before reaching out and clasping her forearm. "Phobos."

"No last name?"

"I don't know my birth parents, aside from one of them being Lunarian."

She released his arm. "Then it's nice to meet you, Mars Phobos and Deimos…?" Rei blinked as she turned to the quiet man, taking in the intensity of his eyes. They were brighter than hers, but black spiked out of his pupils and into the irises, as if he was bleeding from the inside. Still, he remained silent, simply staring back at her with his head cocked to the side.

"I know Deimos better than anyone else and even I don't know his last name," Phobos laughed, likely returning to his normal demeanor because of Rei's understanding attitude.

Something compelled her to maintain the eye contact, as if there was some element in it that held an undefined significance. Everything evanesced from Rei's senses except those odd eyes, and then even those blurred. She felt an internal coldness that wasn't physical, but rather… spiritual? As if there was a probing, like the very essence of a person looking for hers…

Reality came crashing back, with Rei, her vision blackened, shaking her head to clear it and Phobos trying to sound innocent. "What did I do?"

She looked back up to find Deimos glaring at his friend and couldn't fathom why until she tried to think of what brought her out of that haze. Rounding on the Phobos, she accused, "You were poking my face!"

"Mine as well."

"What was I supposed to do? You two were being all…" Phobos filled the air with meaningless gestures and shrugged, his hand falling back to his sides.

Rei spoke up, desperate for time to think. "So are we going?"

"Oh, yeah! C'mon let's get those packs for Rei."

Deimos moved halfway into a crouch and slung the pack over his shoulder in a fluid movement, rising before Phobos even stooped to retrieve his burden. "Your habit of signing me up for things without my knowledge is not endearing."

"Of course it is," he chuckled as he shouldered the bag, motioning to Rei. "Lead on."

And so Rei led them in the direction she and Zek were originally travelling. With nothing but the sound of their footfalls, of which Rei could hardly hear Deimos', the party made their way down the street at a steady pace that allowed her to focus.

The strange encounter with Deimos tugged at some facet of her memory, but she couldn't recall it, couldn't pin it down. There was something in it that was familiar, as if she'd experienced something like it before. Or had she read about it? No, that wasn't it. There were too few books; it would've stood out. Maybe someone mentioned it to her once. But that still left the question of what it was…

"So where are we headed?"

Rei nearly jumped when Phobos' voice cut through her reverie, but she merely cleared her throat. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure how far she should allow the pair to accompany her… If she could trust them.

"Rei, are you-"

"Phobos," the quiet man interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Let her think."

"What is there to think about?" Phobos waited, but received no answer from either of them and huffed, readjusting the pack.

Did Deimos know, then? Rei wasn't sure, but she found herself thankful for his presence. And reassured. The voice that told her to run from Phobos earlier spoke again, telling her not to trust them, but, again, she chose not to listen to it. There was something about them.

"We're going to the second district."

Phobos stopped walking and Rei turned to look back at him, noting that Deimos had hardly moved a step farther than his friend. Again, his lighthearted disposition had vanished, replaced by a sadness Rei couldn't identify. His voice was quiet, "I'm sorry."

She stared at him, not sure how to respond, but soon found it wasn't necessary.

He continued, "I was wondering how bad off your family was, for you to be so thin, but I had hoped things were getting better…" He gestured to the burdens he and Deimos carried, no longer knowing what to say.

It struck Rei that this was wrong, that Phobos shouldn't be… sad. Judging from the subtle furrow of Deimos' brow, he agreed with her. These two were so odd, but it felt natural to her. And so she did what came naturally, as best she could.

Rei stepped toward Phobos, not sure what it was she would do, but sure she had to do something. She paused within arm's reach of him, staring into his saddened eyes. "I'll die trying." Then she stood on her toes and ruffled his hair. "You're not much of a guard," she commented, eliciting a smile from him.

Deimos snorted, but Phobos laughed out, "Maybe we'll all move onto bigger and better things."

They continued on in silence punctuated by Phobos' commentary on the life of a guard, the state of Mars, and one other element that made Rei's heart pump cold blood:

Hope.

She had so little of it left.

And it just withered as they passed the burned houses.

Darkness had begun establishing itself by the time Rei stopped in front of a particular house. As she turned to the two young men, she realized she didn't want to say goodbye to them. And that it was strange, but she was already used to the fact that these two brought about odd things. Which was also unusual.

She sighed and started to say something, but wound up crying out in surprise as strong arms enveloped her and swung her around. "I'm going to miss yooooou."

"Phobos, her arm," Deimos chided.

Rei stumbled when he set her down and waited for her world to stop spinning, only managing to stand thanks to Phobos' hands steadying her.

"You okay?"

Grateful for Deimos once more, she nodded and extended her arm out to Phobos. "You are the strangest person I've ever met."

"Gladly," he grinned, clasping her arm once more. They broke apart after a moment, Rei stepping back and Phobos rubbing the back of his head. "Guess we better go…"

She nodded and he turned to go, catching Deimos by the arm as he went, but the man broke the hold. "I'll catch up."

Phobos' shoulders sagged a little as he mumbled something or other and began the walk back in the direction they came. Rei peered at Deimos as he watched his friend go, curious at why he requested they be alone.

He spoke without turning, his voice as thoughtful as before, but there was something else in it, something that caused what could only be identified as fear to creep through Rei's veins, cold and unyielding. "Where you go, pain and hopelessness will follow and threaten to consume you."

Everything felt thick. She swallowed heavily and opened her mouth to say something, anything, but her throat constricted.

Deimos turned to her and if she weren't so frozen in place, Rei would've flinched at the intolerable _sorrow_ in his eyes. Eyes that seemed to speak of more grief than one person should ever know. Suddenly Rei knew the factor of his voice that was strange.

Agony.

"You mustn't give into it, do you understand?"

She could only nod, unnerved by the desperation in his manner.

He stepped closer, pulling a dagger and its –surprisingly- metal sheath from his belt, which she dimly realized she should've noticed earlier, and thrust it into her hand. "Even in the darkest of moments, no matter the temptation, do no give in." When she gave no response, he clutched her shoulder. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she croaked out. "I understand."

And so Deimos stepped back, his eyes searching hers and the urgency never leaving his. "Learn not to hesitate and trust yourself." She nodded again and he closed his eyes. "I hope you are uninjured next time."

"Next time?"

"Yes." His eyes opened, the urgency and pain in them faded, but after seeing them so blatantly, Rei could see the pain lurking beneath the surface and realized it was always there.

She wondered if Phobos saw the misery in his eyes.

Deimos walked away without another word, and Rei, to her own surprise, knew that though she had dozens of questions, they weren't for him to answer. Not that she even knew what to ask.

Her eyes fell to dagger in her hand. It was nearly the length of her forearm. She was too numb to think of the pain in her arm as she pulled it from the metal sheath that held it. The blade was obsidian, glossy and blacker than death itself with edges that looked keen on daring someone to find out just how easy death could be. She didn't dare touch the tip to her finger.

No wonder the thing had to be housed in metal.

Stranger still was the way one side of the blade was warped, as if someone forged the other side and held it up to let the metal bleed. But it only extended as far from the center as the other, making the blade symmetrical aside from the gaps left from the bleeding.

She glanced at the handle, surprised by the coldness setting into her hand and realized it was the dagger itself, emitting cold. The hilt was nondescript, but the pommel of it held a gem of dark green. Or blue. She couldn't tell in the increasing darkness.

Damned thing was the essence of a mini sword.

It was late. Rei looked down at herself for a place to put the dagger and wound up stuffing it in her boot, but found it was too long and stuck out so she lifted the leg of her trousers over it. It was cold and hard. Uncomfortable. She'd need different boots if she were to keep it there. But why couldn't she just attach it to her belt?

Because Zek would see.

But then two things dawned on her. One, she didn't know how to use a dagger, let alone any weapon, so her only hope with it would be using the element of surprise. Meaning she couldn't attach it to her belt. Two, Zek. He had to be inside already, at least she hoped. If he was, he quite likely heard Phobos, if not Deimos.

He had to be more than angry. She'd been staring at the dagger for a while and he hadn't come out, hadn't made a noise. Rei sighed heavily and moved toward one of the packs, her gait awkward because of the dagger's presence. Maybe if she focused on the pain it caused instead of the pain in her arm.

Trying to lift a pack with both hands proved that wrong, though. She thought about waiting for the pain to stop lancing through her arm, but decided there wasn't much point. Maybe she was just too damned tired. And so she got a good grip with her right hand and dragged the first pack, using the muscles in her legs as much as those of her good arm. She managed to get the damned thing to the beam that led to the basement and straightened, flinching so terribly that she fell to the floor.

Zek was right there, anger and pain lighting his eyes. His jaw was tight and his hands were in fists at his sides, but he didn't say anything, didn't move to help her up. He didn't even seem to be breathing. Then he was bending down, taking hold of her burden and guiding it down the beam until he vanished from her sight and a thud sounded below.

That's when she realized she wasn't breathing and swallowed thickly and inhaled through her mouth suddenly like someone that was just choking or drowning. Before she could even consider standing, Zek was back on the ground floor and striding out the door to retrieve the other pack. He didn't so much as glance in her direction. Again he descended to the basement with a pack.

Rei sighed again, thinking about just going outside for a while. But she was tired, knew that tomorrow held difficult, unknown elements and that deep down inside she was terrified about it all. But she also didn't feel like dealing with Zek. And she cringed for thinking of her friend in such a way.

Then Zek was there again, staring down at her. She held his gaze and waited for him to speak, but he just stuck his arm out. As he helped her up, he grunted, "Didn't mean to hurt you."

"Doesn't hurt." She walked down the beam, not looking back at him.

"So then you're just too weak to carry a bag." He came down after her. "Don't tell me I'll have to carry you across the desert."

Of course. They'd act like it didn't happen. Drop the issue between them just like they always did. Rei suddenly found herself wondering how many times they'd done that, left some disagreement or problem to never be spoken of. Unresolved and festering.

She wondered if Phobos and Deimos ever did that and instantly doubted it.

Rei turned to slap his bangs. "If anything, I'd have to drag you."

"Does that mean I don't have to do anything?" He just grinned as she glared at him. "I got you something. Close your eyes."

"You know I hate surprises."

"Yeah, yeah and you're a grumpy sack of fire."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"That's why it fits you perfectly." He held up a hand to stop her response. "Fine, fine." And so he grumbled as he pulled something from within his shirt.

It was a thin, leather-bound book, in good condition but with softened edges of the cover. Rei stared in awe reaching out for it without a word and tracing the faded letters on the front. She looked up, discovering a triumphed grin on Zek's face. "This is why you ran off."

He nodded, but the grin slid off his face. "I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"There's barely any books outside of the schools, and they barely have books."

So he wasn't smiling like an idiot, but he didn't look sad. "That's why it took so long, but when I went back to the street, you weren't there…"

Her eyes fell back to the book, not sure how to steer the conversation back to something that wouldn't cause an argument. It seemed that Zek didn't either because he started pulling things out of a pack and organizing them.

"Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"And the day after that," she agreed, moving to organize the contents of the other bag.

They continued in silence, though Zek finished before Rei since she favored her right arm. And even then she finished, though she wondered if Zek had fallen asleep, considering that he curled up on the ground a while ago and hadn't made a noise since. She moved to get a blanket to cover him with and ruffled his hair, staring at him. Sure, he was an absolute pain in the ass, but he was her pain in the ass. She was pretty difficult too, she supposed.

And then said pain in the ass nudged her. "Story time?"

"You know you sound like a five-year-old, right?"

"Shut up and read to me."

"How do I do both?"

He groaned and rolled over.

"You big baby," she huffed, picking up the book and flipping to the first page.

Zek had refused her offer for her to teach him to read a long time ago and she never asked again. He always did seem jealous that the gods "gifted" her with fire and that she learned to read more than just the common signs in the merchant districts. But at the same time, he was happy for her. So Rei tried to avoid throwing off whatever balance he'd found

After a while, she was pretty sure he was asleep and felt the heaviness of her own eyelids as sleep tried to coax her to its embrace, but she decided to finish the current page, "The path to paradise begins in hell."

* * *

**AN:** Whew! I enjoyed this chapter, if not just because of Phobos and Deimos. Bonus points if anyone recognizes the quote from the book. Ami didn't make it into this one... We'll see her next time and she'll clear up some things. Oh! Can you tell I liked the dagger? ^_^ Tehe. Such plans I have.


	3. Disillusioned

**A/N:** Whew, this one has a lot in it. Not only does Ami give me trouble, though I'm coming to understand her better, but I'm trying to make Mercury coherent. I certainly hope that worked out. Enough, before I start really babbling. Already missed the deadline for this chapter.

* * *

Ami's eyes swept across one of the smaller libraries in the west wing, but her eyes found someone she didn't care to speak to- the fledging scholar from the other day. Besides, the person she was looking for preferred to find his reading material and hide out beneath a table by a window in the far corner. In little to no time, Ami's feet carried her across the room.

"Idestell, do you-"

The man jerked, hitting his head on the table. "By the gods! You mustn't sneak up on people like that!"

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as Idestell came out from under the table, rubbing his head the whole time and effectively making locks of his hair dance. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"If you continue surprising me like this, I'll be as crazy as everyone believes, but because of head trauma."

"People don't think you're…" Looking at his arched eyebrow, she couldn't finish the sentence, but the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he gave her a smile and gestured to a chair.

"So what can I do for you?"

Even after he sat in the chair beside her, Ami gazed out the window.

"You don't need to be anxious."

Her eyes flew to Idestell's gentle smile and her jaw fell open before clicking shut. She never knew how the man or Trevian were so capable when it came to reading her, she thought she was so contained, so in control. A sigh fell from her lips. All that she was trying to be and do wasn't what it should be. That's why she was here, to change that.

"Interesting."

The comment broke Ami from her introspective stupor. "What's interesting?"

Amusement sparked in Idestell's eyes as he leaned forward. "You look as if you're playing the role of the reluctant hero at the beginning of the quest that will forever change you and your life." He tilted his head, adding, "If you survive… But I suppose that still counts as a permanent change."

Her eyebrow twitched up. "Don't ever give motivational speeches."

"Ah, I'm sorry." He waved his hand dismissively. "I got distracted, but you get the point. So, what's the reason for your distress?" When he got no immediate answer, he corrected, "Reasons?"

"Not here."

Though she walked off without a glance to him, his footsteps resonated behind her. Ami led him down the winding halls until they reached her favorite place in the entire castle.

Stepping into it, she couldn't help letting her eyes take in the room once more- just as she always did. Nothing in the room was state of the art. Currently, it was lit by the screened sunlight filtering through the windows, rendering the lanterns on the few tables useless and highlighting floating dust motes. Ami imagined that this was closer to how sunlight came into rooms of other planets. As Idestell wandered over to the windows as if they were some strange species, her eyes settled on the nearly empty bookshelves. Could there really be so few books on such an important topic?

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, why?"

"You didn't respond to me." He held his hand out toward the windows, still staring at her. "It still uses the concept of curtains?"

Ami smiled. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"Quite so, quite so" he murmured as he fingered the outdated fabric. "I don't see a night or day switch or indication that there was one."

"There's never been one. Due to the shielding on the planet-"

"Because of the lack of atmosphere," Idestell nodded.

"Yes, and so our up to date windows-"

"Though we're systematically replacing them with glass infused with that metal. I forget what it's called, do you-"

"Idestell."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's alright," she laughed softly. "Since they aren't connected to the system, they don't simulate day or night, but work as older windows did so that 'day' and 'night' are dependent on when I use that curtain."

"Hence the lanterns?"

Ami nodded and watched Idestell's fascination over the window. He would be the last person to think her mad, right? Well, the man _was_ looking at a piece of cloth as if it were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "Idestell?"

"Yes?"

"What is an actual night like?"

The question made his gaze fix on her so abruptly that he entirely forgot he was holding the curtain and there was something in his deep blue eyes Ami had never seen before. His voice was soft, almost apologetic. "That's right, you've never been off-planet."

She shook her head, eyes drifting to the window. Ami nearly jumped out of her skin when Idestell suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Care to be my apprentice?"

"Wh- what?"

The smile on his face dissolved to a frown. "My apologies, I forget you have obligations to the throne."

"How do you even know about that?"

Idestell tapped his temple. "Because there's this thing between my ears that allows for the magic of thought."

Ami sat at a table, shaking her head with a small smile. "Only you call it magic."

"You don't think it's magic? If it's not, then what _is_ magic?"

He sat across from her, holding her gaze, and she found she couldn't provide an answer that wasn't essentially "because." Always interesting with this man.

She held up a hand. "We're getting off track."

"There's a track?"

"You're absurd. Anyway, what does having me as your apprentice accomplish?"

Idestell shrugged. "You could learn what you pleased and go off-planet with me until you're old enough to do it on your own. I know that look in your eyes. You're always curious, always wondering." His brow furrowed. "Just don't let it consume you."

Well, he was an honest man, even if it did cause uncomfortable or unpleasant thoughts and moments. But she could ignore that for right now. "Off-planet?"

A nod.

"To which planets?"

"All of them, though it will be tentative due to the strain on the Alliance because of the recent war. Except Mars. Completely off-limits."

Any of the planets? _All of them?_ Even with the exception of Mars, it was amazing.

"And there's that look of curious wonder," Idestell laughed.

"That's actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Well, not all things can be approached at the same time."

Ami gestured behind her, noting the indignant furrow of his brow as his eyes settled on the bookshelves. "Those are the only books I could find on the histories and cultures of the other planets. And even then, they hold little information."

"A personal undertaking of yours, then?"

"If you help."

"Which could only happen if you weren't obligated to the throne."

"Which is the other topic I wanted your opinion on."

"And so the hero's quest gains its start."

She rubbed her temples. "Idestell, there is no hero and no quest. What do you know of my obligation to the throne?"

"Your mother wants you to be of high enough status that the representatives will select you to be ruler in place of your brother."

"Yes."

"But this isn't something you wish to do, correct?" He continued upon receiving a nod, "If Trevian proves to be an ill choice, will you step in?"

Ami's throat was so dry she couldn't provide an answer even if she had one. Could she do it?

"You've got the time to decide. Should the need arise, you can only follow through if you are who you need to be, so do whatever it is you feel needs to be done."

"Didn't I tell you not to give motivational speeches?"

Idestell smiled, rapping his knuckles against his skull. "Crazy, remember?"

"So you say. There's something else."

"I should hope so. If there were to be nothing but crazy, we couldn't have crazy because there could be no opposite so there would be no crazy and no sane, nor any event or person to describe as such."

Ami's brow furrowed. "No one confuses me as much as you do and I doubt I'll ever meet anyone as strange."

"Excellent."

She shook her head. "Absurd. Should I talk to Trevian about what our mother wants?"

"A hero's quest is dependent on their decisions, decisions they make on their own or with the aid of their companions."

Again with the questing nonsense. "Then why can't you give me your input?"

"I fear I am but the gentle push in the right direction."

"Then push."

"Who is to say that I haven't?"

"The hero."

He jabbed a finger in the air suddenly. "Aha! So you are a hero on a quest."

She sighed, already feeling the pulsating of a headache coming on. "So when does my apprenticeship begin?"

Idestell wandered to the window again, staring out at what she could only guess at. The man held such odd interests. Silence stretched to the point that Ami was on the verge of speaking and resorted to tapping a thumb to each finger of her hand.

Finally, "Design a method that will be more efficient in our use of energy."

"I don't know anything about that!"

"I know," he responded smoothly as he left the room.

Energy. Of all things. Of all possible things. And to make it more efficient? She was only thirteen, what did she know?

"That's it," she said aloud to the room. Idestell was pushing her in the right direction and away from her wrong approaches to problems. The question was what she didn't know. Or she was overthinking it.

Such a pulsating headache.

Ami left, navigating the corridors to find her brother before the pain in her head got even worse. Even as she walked, she didn't know what she'd say to him or how much. And then she found herself knocking on his door.

Trevian swung the door open, the smile on his face dissolving. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have a minute?"

"Ami, I've got years if you need them," he said, stepping aside so she could enter.

The room felt small and she kept trying to swallow away the dryness of her throat. She heard the door close and watched Trevian move to a chair before joining him. Incoherent thoughts danced in Ami's mind and words wouldn't come out of her mouth, but she knew her brother would wait, giving her the time she needed.

And so he did.

"Trevian, mother wants me to run against you for the throne."

His blue eyes widened as he remained silent. Eventually, they settled to their original size, all the while Ami's heart thudding in her chest. "Well," he started at length, "I can't suppose I blame her. Though it is wrong of her to put such a burden on you."

Ami released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Why?"

"Your identity is your business. As for her wanting you to take my place, take it as a compliment."

"A compliment?"

"She thinks you better than me, so yes."

Her brow furrowed. "That doesn't bother you?"

"Silly Ami." He smiled at her, leaning forward to ruffle her hair despite her protests. "I'm proud of you."

In reality, she didn't quite know what to do with that, so she just smiled back at him. If she had one person in the universe, it was Trevian, so why had she been anxious about his response?"

"I'm only hoping to win the throne because Mercury needs change and I hope I can help with that, if for no other reason than so that you don't have to."

"I didn't know that."

"There's a lot you shouldn't know, but you and everyone else seem to want to prevent you from being a kid." He laughed at her questioning eyebrow. "You should see it, Ami. Uranus. Everyone is so… alive."

* * *

"That's stupid."

Rei pointed at the sun dipping into the horizon, red bleeding in all directions away from it until it faded into the falling darkness of the sky. "It'll be cold soon and it's easier to get warm than cold."

"Sleeping from dawn till noon works better."

A distinct throbbing made itself known at her temple. "Do you know something I don't? Because I don't have control over ice. Do you?"

Zek shook the hair out of his eyes as he trudged on. "You could use a tan."

"Seriously?" The pounding worsened. "What is your obsession with travelling constantly?"

"It's not constant."

"It would be if it were up to you."

"You're the one that wanted to go."

Rei fought the urge to sling her pack directly into Zek's back. "I didn't ask you to come."

"You wouldn't ask if your life depended on it." He grunted, shifting his burden as Rei trekked on in silence. "What was I supposed to do, anyway, struggle alone until I died?"

She sighed. "Just stop already."

"Why? Isn't it enough that we're going to die in this desert for some dream of yours?"  
Rei halted and practically threw her pack to the ground. She squeezed her eyes so tightly that bright dots patterned the darkness. Zek's voice sounded distant, but she didn't bother trying to key into it. Fire licked its way up her arms, eager to break away from her. Eager to consume something.

Everything.

She needed to restore her control, get herself back in check. The crack in her finely constructed walls encasing the essence of her power allowed it to slip out. But fire is never satisfied. It wanted more, hammered on the walls caging in its power.

The pulsating beat in her head intensified, but Rei tried to focus on that flaring energy within her. She didn't want to kill Zek, it was just the fire wanting an outlet. Though it didn't help he was being an obnoxious outlet. As Rei's breathing eased and she made a note to scold herself later, that excited fury of her power quieted to a more manageable flickering. It danced within its confines, again building pressure to wait for the moment her composure fractured.

She opened her eyes, blinking away the sudden brightness to find a pair of concerned green ones staring back at her.

"You okay?"

Guilt washed over Rei and poked at her heart like a stubborn child fascinated by a new object. How could she ever want to hurt Zek, let alone kill him? It was horrible. _She_ was horrible.

"I'm sorry," he said, nudging his own pack with the toe of his boot.

When did he put down his pack? How long had she been standing there? Her eyes cast around, discovering night was announcing itself more thoroughly, from the settling darkness to the faint chill coming to life. "It's alright," she murmured absently.

"Yeah."

He didn't sound empty so much as disgusted with himself. Damned if it didn't make Rei feel worse. And so it came down to their natural roles. Her hand twitched as if she was going to grip his shoulder, but she didn't follow through. Even for something that was his fault, she had to comfort him? Well, she _did_ kind of want to kill him. But it still felt off. Were they always like this? Love and hate going hand in hand?

She was overthinking it. The desert had to be getting to her. Or was it? She rubbed her temples.

"Let's make camp, yeah?" Zek started taking items out her pack, taking pains not to look at her.

Rei fell into a sit, watching him set up their makeshift camp. Was the most vital thing in her life really so… corrupt? And she knew it this whole time, somewhere inside. But she'd just shunted it to the back of her mind.

"Hey, your turn." Zek grinned at her, pointing to a small array of sticks.

Her eyes didn't even flick in their direction as the sticks erupted into fire. The most important person in her life was someone she could barely stand. Illusions. Rei felt something inside of her shattering. She'd guess it was her heart, but it felt too hollow. There's that thing called heartache, right?

* * *

**A/N:** I wonder if anyone figured out just how many important things I hinted at and started the motions for. Maybe it'll become clearer later. I wanted to put more in this chapter, but there was already so much... Ah well, more fun for me next time. I'm so excited. Hope you guys enjoyed it!


	4. Birds of a Feather

**A/N:** 10 days late and I don't think I could've got this up without Wolfy's encouragement. Whew. This was a really tought chapter and I wrote a few scenes about a dozen times, so I hope it came out well.

* * *

_You mustn't give into it!_

The echoing yell of a Deimos in her dream jolted Rei awake, her eyes staring out into the blurry darkness. Or was it her dream? She couldn't even remember what it was about, but it had felt so real and left such a horrible headache in its wake.

Darkness moving over darkness made her breathing stop as she halted her first reaction, resulting in her hand twitching away from her side. She wanted to rub the tiredness from her eyes so she could see clearly, squint at the dark to see if she had truly seen something.

But sleeping people didn't rapidly touch their face all of a sudden, sit up and stare at something. That was just stupid. So Rei feigned a stretch and slowly rubbed her eyes before curling back up to stare into the darkness through half-closed eyes.

Nothing. Maybe she was just paranoid. Yet Deimos' voice whispered to her from within her memory to trust herself.

And so she stayed awake, straining to hear something in the harsh desert aside from Zek's breathing behind her and staring for something in the dark until her eyes burned. But they grew heavy and the tiredness covered her like a blanket. She couldn't do anything if she was too tired, anyway.

Demanding sunlight burned red through Rei's eyelids. Her eyes cracked open, which was apparently a mistake, she realized. She vigorously rubbed her eyes and shook herself, sand flying off of her and hitting Zek.

"Hey," he protested, flailing around blindly with one hand and rubbing at his own eyes with the other.

"Sorry. Must've been windy since I went to sleep."

"Don't you mean since _we_ went to sleep?"

Rei blinked away the tears washing out her eyes. "I woke up afterward."

Zek was too busy freeing himself of sand to reply and she took to cleaning up their makeshift camp.

"I think I breathed in sand."

"Suck it up."

"You must think you're so clever."

"That would be you."

"I am pretty clever, huh?"

"No, you just think you are."

He pulled at his clothes as he finally joined her in gathering their things, mumbling as he went. In a manner of minutes, they were once again trekking across the desert.

"Are we going the right—" Zek shook his hair from his eyes, but it devolved into him rapidly shaking his head and walking in a less than straight line.

"I had no idea you were a dog."

"Shut up."

"Would you cut my hair the next time we stop?"

"Does this have something to do with your hair whipping around like a possessed, a possessed…"

"Banshee," Rei supplied.

"Sure."

"What were you asking a minute ago?"

"Uhm…"

"Note to self: throwing things at Zek leads to memory loss."

"You can't be surprised."

The girl merely laughed in answer and Zek mumbled what she believed to be a curse but ignored. Silence aside from the crunching of sand under their boots held reign until a yelp issued from Zek as he stepped knee-deep in sand and crashed face-first into the current sand dune. He flailed about and would've eventually tumbled down the dune, but Rei grabbed his pack.

"You okay?"

Sand sputtered from his mouth, "Do I… look okay… to you?"

"You look like you."

He shot her a dirty look but accepted the canteen and used the water to wash out his mouth before drinking some. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

"Hopefully not. That wasn't fun."

Rei clapped him on the shoulder. "Maybe, but it was funny."

"Let's see it happen to you!"

"Let's not."

"There's good news."

"What?"

"I remember my question. Are we going the right way?" When Rei's eyebrow twitched upward, he huffed, "Oh, shut up."

"Yeah, we are. I slept facing the direction we came." He simply nodded so she asked, unable to help a small laugh, "Ready to go?"

He jumped up in answer, but promptly fell once more. Instead of laughing about it, the pair's eyes followed a knife that whizzed over Zek.

A knife that would've landed in his back if he hadn't fallen.

Zek was slower to look for the source of the blade than Rei, so he couldn't help lashing out at her in surprise as she shoved him over the dune. She threw a look over her shoulder to see eight men—or seven? Five?—advancing on them and one wore a nasty scowl as he reached for another knife. As Rei flung herself down the dune after her friend, she could swear she saw that green eyes belonged to the knife thrower. But then she was tumbling down, sand flying everywhere until she crashed into something solid.

A grunt came from the object and she realized it was Zek just as he was pulling her up. "We've got to go."

"Go where," she yelled, dropping her pack as she made it to her feet.

Zek's face paled in place of his answering her and she turned to find the men making it to the top of the dune they just rolled down.

Though the green-eyed one twirling a knife called out to them, Rei didn't have a clue as to what he said. Terror made her heart jump around her chest like a feral animal and centered her senses, making her acutely aware of the raw power surging through her, narrowing her vision and reducing her hearing to the ringing silence pierced only by the blood coursing through her veins.

Instinct seized her.

Fire gathered along her arm and she swung her fist in a horizontal arc, sending out a band of fire that made the attackers take cover on the other side of the dune with curses of surprise. She nearly punched Zek as he gripped her shoulders, shaking her.

"Rei! Did you hear me?"

"What," she snapped, keeping her eyes on the top of the dune as a couple of the men peeked over it.

"We can't take them all, we need a plan!"

She yelled back at him, "You don't think I know that?" Her eyes flicked back to their packs, before she sent another wave of fire at the curious men. "Throw stuff at them and come after me when I give the signal."

Zek dropped to his knees. "What signal?!" But there was no response other than Rei making the attackers take cover again. He muttered something under his breath about crazy as he tore through one of their packs with trembling hands.

He jerked violently when a bunch of sand hit him and looked up to see an exasperated Rei nearly at the top of the dune, flat on her stomach and motioning for him to hurry. His unkempt hair flew into his eyes as he nodded and unceremoniously flung things at random up toward the dune. A yelp sounded as something hit one of their attackers, but he didn't look or stop until more sand hit him. Zek glanced up to see Rei motion at him and he took to a stumbling run up the dune.

Just as he topped the dune, one of the men was beginning to stand and Zek threw himself at him, tumbling down the other side with him in tow. Rei cursed, that wasn't what she was hoping for. She laughed a bitter laugh as she slung more fire at her attackers. She didn't know what she was hoping for to begin with.

It wasn't as if the odds of surviving were in their favor.

Instinct alone made her drop down as fire whirled over her. She barely managed to keep from falling down the great pile of sand. She was tiring. She wasn't a soldier.

Rei cried out as a knife bit into her left shoulder. She was dimly aware of laughter—the green-eyed man's laughter.

There was no way she'd survive this. She was helpless. Hopeless.

Hopeless_._

A hushed voice of speechless whispers urged her to kill them.

Heat flared in her veins as that raw energy inside screamed, demanded to be free. It pounded on the confines of its prison, pounded on her very being_. _It grew, commanding and loud, it beat upon her mind, a voiceless mantra demanding its freedom. It spoke in actions and feelings, but she felt it saying the equivalent of two words, _Embrace me._

Cracks spiraled along the walls of her control.

Some distant part of her heard Zek yelling something, but she was ruled by some consuming essencefrom within her. Gritting her teeth, Rei ripped the knife out her shoulder, fire dancing down her arm and gathering around the knife just as she hurled it at one of the men. She didn't bother to look at him as his scraggly armor caught fire from the knife embedded in his chest.

She was going to kill that green-eyed bastard.

Fire shot her way as she rose to a knee, but it met her own with such intensity the air around it exploded in a shower of sparks. Pain tore through her as she dug her hands into the sand and she willed her sorrow, her guilt, her rage, to light the flames travelling along her arm. Sand flew toward her attackers and the fire followed quickly, burning the particles to glass. She fell backward, jarring her arm as she braced herself, but her eyes never left her targets.

It was then that it occurred to her that there were only four men focused on her, though it dropped to one. The green-eyed man had used one of his comrades as a shield, so he was the only one without glass buried in his flesh and flames burning his body. He discarded his human shield, hurling two badly aimed knives at Rei as he did so.

One grazed Rei's side. She could've evaded both knives, but she was running at the man. Surprise lit his face, though his hands were already reaching for another knife, only to realize he ran out and his right clasped a dagger.

She should have panicked, but that screaming power inside of her wouldn't allow it. All or nothing.

Rei launched herself at him before he could fully unsheathe his blade and he grabbed a hold of her as a flaming fist caught him across the shoulder.

She cursed. She had been aiming for his face.

"Bitch," he spat, using her momentum against her as if to throw her down the dune, but she latched onto him.

His footing slipped from the unexpected weight and they began sliding down the dune. Sand flew up all around them, but his hand found her throat. Rei's vision darkened as she struggled to breathe, additionally distressed by the three voices screaming at her. Three? Yes, two from within… one was Deimos.

Deimos.

Rei's hand fumbled around her for her boot as they hit a bump and got even more entangled. Cold fire bit into her abdomen and whipped across her side in a jagged arc. Her hand found the hilt of Deimos' dagger as they finally hit the bottom of the dune and whatever breath Rei had left from the weight of the man above her. He lifted himself up, his hand at last from her throat, and smirked down at her.

He laughed, twirling a bloody dagger. That was her blood. So it wasn't fire she felt earlier, it was his blade. "Some legend you are." The blade stopped twirling.

But before he could bring it down, his eyes widened, a small gasp issuing from him.

A voice yelled for her to stab him again.

Rei obeyed the voice, driving the dagger into the man's gut once more despite her aching muscles. Those green eyes stared down at her, accusing her of murder as surely as the blood falling from his body onto hers. His hand tightened on his own dagger, as if to stab her, and she wrenched the blade around his insides until he slumped.

Exhaustion and pain settled over her, the energy inside dying down. She drew ragged breaths and couldn't find it in herself to shove the man's body off her, so she just held onto the dagger, focusing on the cold emanating from it even as her eyelids drooped.

The crunching of sand underfoot distantly reached her.

"Dead."

"You sure?" The voice was farther away than the first.

"Too much blood for 'em not to be." His friend cursed. "We taking the boy?"

"Good idea, maybe Sayedi won't be too angry."

Silence.

* * *

"What is it, Deimos?" He came to sit beside his friend, taking in the troubled look on his face as he stared off at nothing. "Deimos?"

"Do you feel it?" His voice was far-off, just like his eyes.

Phobos looked in the direction Deimos' gaze was fixed, toward the fireplace. It looked normal to him. He crouched in front of Deimos and eventually, those bright eyes settled on him. "No. Tell me."

Deimos flicked his eyes away from his friend. "There aren't words for it."

"Is there something else?" Phobos prodded his knee. "Deimos?"

"Yes."

"Then let's do it!"

"You may regret it."

"Better me than anyone else," Phobos laughed.

His normal control slipped from him, allowing him to reach his hand into Phobos' grey hair and he couldn't help the small smile playing at his lips from his friend's grin. "You are quite interesting."

The grin on Phobos' face twitched a little and an eyebrow arched in confusion, but he didn't worry about his friend's odd nature. "So what do we do?"

Deimos wore an expression he'd never seen before and cleared his throat, his gaze staring over the crouching man's shoulder. "Close your eyes."

He complied, but flinched in surprise when he felt Deimos' hands on his face. A question burned in him, but before he could pin it down, he felt Deimos' forehead touch his own.

"Clear your mind," he whispered.

It was hard, considering Deimos' closeness, their practically shared breath and the rapid beating of his own heart in such a strange situation, but after a few minutes, he managed it.

A dark cold crashed down on his mind like a wave, consuming it and bringing flashes of images, sounds, and _feelings_ of events.

* * *

"I don't see how you can support them."

Sea green eyes looked over her book to discover the long form of her friend stretched out on the sofa across from her. "You misunderstand me."

Haruka huffed, moving into a sit and leaning forward as she did so. "You tell me that those filthy barbarians are good people and expect me to understand that?"

She used a finger to mark her page as she closed the book. "I expect you to understand that you cannot condemn an entire people because of the actions of a few."

"It takes more than a few to start a whole damn war."

"You've never even seen a Martian in person. And who's to say it was entirely the Martians' fault? The ever truthful politicians?"

Anger flashed in Haruka's eyes. She leaned back and rested her chin on a fist, turning her unpleasant stare to a wall. "Michiru, this isn't how I wanted to spend to spend my last day with—er—here."

She opened the book again, deciding how best to go around Haruka's slip of the tongue. "You're the one that brought it up, knowing that I'd correct you in your misconception that a fifteen-year-old could know the causes of a war she had nothing to do with."

"I had everything to do with it!" Reproachful green eyes stared over the book at her, making her scowl. "After my trip to Venus, I'll have to return to Uranus for a while."

"Well, you can't exactly live here, can you?"

Haruka ran a hand through her hair. "There's some ball thing or other a little after I'd get back."

"You know I can't stand those."

The blonde gave a lopsided smile. "Me either."

"How soon after?"

"About a week."

"I'll be there." Another page turned. "You should go."

Haruka's eyes flicked to a clock before she stood. "Are you saying that so I won't be late?"

"No, there's some political meeting here at about that time. I'd rather not attend." She rose to embrace the taller girl. "Behave."

"But behaving is so boring," Haruka commented as they separated, smirking at Michiru rolling her eyes and walking off to go to the transporters.

* * *

**A/N:** To Venus and beyond! Until next time!... Which isn't too far away.


End file.
